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The BBL and WBBL seasons will expand by a week next summer, with the tournament finals scheduled for February 4. The expansion means that the semi-finals and final for both competitions will be played in the first week of the school year, outside the school-holiday period that has been such a successful window for the T20 tournament.The semi-finals are locked in for February 1 and 2, a Thursday and Friday, with the deciders to be played on the Sunday. Cricket Australia had announced in January that eight additional BBL matches would be fixtured for next season, though at the time the BBL chief, Anthony Everard, said CA believed they “could fit the extra games within the existing window if we wanted to”.The increase means one extra home game per BBL team, with the intention of taking matches to new markets. Launceston will host a WBBL and BBL double-header on December 30, when the Hobart Hurricanes play the Sydney Thunder, while other new venues are yet to be announced.”Both the BBL and WBBL are firm family favourites during the summer school holidays, and with even more matches we hope fans will continue to vote with their feet, support their club, and help us surpass last year’s attendance, which exceeded 1 million for the second consecutive season,” Everard said.”The eight additional BBL matches for this season have been scheduled to complement the existing regular season fixture, take the BBL and WBBL to more locations, and encourage more people to give cricket a go.”The opportunity to take matches to markets such as Launceston is particularly exciting as it represents the growing popularity of the Big Bash nationwide, and we are hopeful of extending the BBL’s footprint even further this season in partnership with the Thunder, Strikers and Renegades, who remain in discussions to take matches to new markets.”

ScorecardChelmsford is the birthplace of the artist Grayson Perry and was also the town where the 16th century magician, John Dee, was educated. It is therefore well-used to astonishing transformations. However, whether credulous or sceptical, residents will have seen little to compare with the latter stages of this match, when Simon Harmer engraved his name in folk memory of Essex cricket-lovers on one the greatest day’s sport seen on this ground.In November 2015 Harmer was playing for South Africa in a Test match at Nagpur. Since then he has seen his stock fall in his home country and in the winter he committed himself to a career as a county cricketer with Essex.Last week he took 14 wickets against Warwickshire and on this wonderful last day against the champions he collected a career-best 9 for 95 finishing the match with figures of 14-172. By doing so he sent a thousand or so hardy souls at the County Ground into floodlit ecstasy, for they had seen their side complete their third victory in succession and this with a maximum of eight balls remaining in the game.When they descend from their rare euphoria, Essex supporters may realise that their team is now 29 points clear at the top of the Division One table. What they will also understand is that they have witnessed a victory the unlikelihood of which made it all the more worthy of celebration.With six overs left to be bowled Essex still needed four wickets and doubts began to creep in among spectators, even if the hesitancy of the later Middlesex batsmen encouraged hope among Ryan ten Doeschate’s players. That belief was fuelled by the fact that the pink Duke’s ball was retaining its bounce more than the red variety, a fact which the 6ft 2ins Harmer had been able to exploit throughout the match. And the problems of the Middlesex batsmen were increased by Harmer’s ability to use the footholes left by Mohammed Amir and Paul Walter. For all that time was running out, one never felt that Dawid Malan’s batsmen were comfortable. Certainly they never looked like clearing the 296-run deficit established by Essex’s dynamic batting on the third day of this game.In the 108th over of the innings Ryan Higgins played inside what looked like an arm ball and was caught at slip by Alastair Cook, for whom this match was the pleasantest of temporary farewells before the Test series. Three balls later Ollie Rayner collected a pair when he was leg before on the front foot. Harmer had now taken all eight wickets to fall in the innings but his chances of taking all ten disappeared three overs later when Dan Lawrence trapped Toby Roland-Jones lbw for a single although there was a case the ball pitched outside leg. Nobody minded, least of all Harmer who brushed away Lawrence apologies in the joy of shared achievement. Three balls of Harmer’s subsequent over passed and it seemed clear that Lawrence or possibly Amir would be bowling the last over of the game.Simon Harmer wheels away with his Essex team-mates after his match-sealing wicket•Getty Images

That over was never delivered. Perhaps scared of commitment, Steven Finn plunged forward but played no shot to Harmer’s third last ball of the game. An appeal followed that could be heard in either of the Baddows. There was a raised finger from David Millns. Harmer began the first Essex bowler since Mark Ilott in 1995 to take nine wickets in an innings and ten Doeschate’s men are hot favourites for the title now. This will be Harmer’s match but so was last week’s.”It’s not going to get too much better than this,” said Harmer. “You just need to ride the wave – they don’t come around that often. We will enjoy tonight and have a few beers. It’s an incredible win for the club. It puts us in phenomenal position going into the last six games of the season. We’ve done a lot of hard work, a lot of hard graft and been on top of our game. We’ve come out on top in the last 10 minutes of the day today. These are the moments you play cricket for. It makes all the hard graft worth it.”And yet it takes two teams to make a contest as noble as this one and in the joy of Harmer’s achievement, even the Essex supporters spared applause for Nick Compton, whose innings of 120 looked likely to frustrate Essex. And the Middlesex opener’s tale shares a very rough parallel with that of Harmer.Just over a year ago Compton’s name was blazoned in headlines. He was an England batsman. Yet within a few weeks some who had advocated his selection were vehement that he should never have been picked in the first place. No one, of course, has mentioned his name in connection with the England side for next week’s Test at Lord’s. Yet as we watched Compton make his century and bat in vain to save the game it was plain that he still retains the skill to play this game at a high level and the temperament to defy opponents in full cry.Harmer v Compton. Given a couple of different turns on the wheels of fortune and circumstance, it was a battle which might have been seen in next week’s Test match. And on the evidence of this quite wonderful last day at Chelmsford it would not have disgraced the stage at St John’s Wood.Compton arrived at New Writtle Street having scored 81 championship runs in four innings; injury and indifferent form have kept him out of the Middlesex team. Those factors by themselves were enough to make his effort at Chelmsford admirable. Yet the virtues of his batting were magnified by the intensity of the contest and the fact that his principal adversary, Harmer, is in the form of his life.So much was proved in the first half hour of play when Harmer dismissed Nick Gubbins, Stevie Eskinazi and Dawid Malan in five overs from the River End, reducing Middlesex to 51 for 3 and encouraging the hopes of home supporters that they were about to see ten Doeschate’s team achieve a facile innings victory and their fifth Division One triumph of the season.Yet this early clatter was misleading; instead of offering a strong clue to the narrative of the day, it merely set up the terrific duel of Thursday’s cricket: Both our principals had considerable help, of course. The main assistance to Harmer probably came from Dan Lawrence, whose high action gave his off-spinners every chance to bounce uncomfortably.Nick Compton dug in to defy the home attack•Getty Images

Compton was assisted deep into the heart of the day and beyond by Paul Stirling, who batted with commendable coolness and against his attacking instincts to make 55 in 202 minutes. While Compton and Stirling were adding 153 in 55 overs the five points for a draw were plainly secure. Then, five minutes before tea, Stirling, who had been dropped three times, was safely caught by Ravi Bopara at backward short leg. John Simpson resisted for 50 minutes but was beaten by Harmer’s turn and taken by Cook. Then Compton having faced 303 balls, 59 more than in his entire season before this innings, was leg before playing no shot to Harmer. The door was open and the Essex cricketers plunged through it. “Harmer’s a proper bowler,” said Essex’s Keith Fletcher, who faced a few and has seen countless more. No one anywhere in Essex doubts that judgement this glorious June evening.

Match facts

June 5, 2017
Start time 19:30 local (23:30 GMT)

Big picture

West Indies are likely to give uncapped fast bowler Ronsford Beaton a run in the final T20I•AFP

A series like this one can often be an underwhelming exercise for reigning T20I world champions, West Indies. Every time they take the field, nothing less than a crushing victory may seem satisfactory on their part. Furthermore, one can be sure that should they be defeated in even one game during the three-match series, it is the loss that would be remembered by fans and pundits alike. Hence, to their credit, West Indies have done just about as well as they could to ensure Afghanistan have been given no cause for excitement, and that the tourists have been comprehensively defeated in both T20Is. One might even be tempted to go so far as to suggest the hosts have demonstrated a degree of maturity and professionalism in both their outings so far – sentiments that don’t necessarily scream West Indies.For Afghanistan, this was always going to be a historic tour, with the feel-good factor unlikely to have ceased despite the results they have incurred so far in the field of play. Even so, they must be disappointed with how they’ve gone about their business in the last two games, never even coming close to worrying West Indies, let alone pulling off an upset. There is little doubt the Afghanistan bowling attack has struggled for breakthroughs that would put pressure on the opposition batsmen: they have taken only seven West Indies wickets in two T20Is, with both the Zadrans – Dawlat and Shapoor – having been grossly expensive. Add to that the tourists’ batting displays on both instances that bordered more on the Affiliate/Associate brand of cricket than the Associate/Full Member one. However, what has frustrated Afghanistan till now may also give them hope: these two performances aren’t holistically representative of this side, and one would expect they’re due a better one in a contest where the pressure will be off.

Form guide

West Indies WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LLWWW

In the spotlight

Kesrick Williams has so far been the best player this series, and encouragingly for West Indies, this appears to be indicative of a wider trend. Ever since making his debut against Pakistan last September, the fast bowler from St Vincent and the Grenadines (a Caribbean island not as famous for especially fertile cricketing talent as the rest) has been performing with impressive consistency. With 11 wickets from seven innings at an economy rate of 5.23, Williams combines nippy pace with intelligent variations, including an excellent yorker – all of which makes him an attractive T20 talent. Afghanistan would be wary of Williams, who bowled 22 dots in the 39 bowls he sent down in the last two games, scalping five wickets for only 30 runs.The two stalwarts of Afghanistan cricket, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai, will have lived for this series, and must have thought it would come long after they had retired. However, the unprecedented speed at which the Afghanistan cricket team has developed means the duo – currently aged 32 and 29 respectively – are still not too far from their peak. As such, they must be disappointed with themselves for not having taken more responsibility in the last two T20Is as fellow batsmen struggled, with neither managing to reach doubles figures. Their desire to leave a mark on this series – for who knows when they’ll be touring the West Indies next? – will be as intense as ever. If one of them can get going, St Kitts might feel a lot more like Afghanistan than anyone would ever have thought possible.

Team news

West Indies head coach Stuart Law has said the team is likely to give the uncapped Guyana fast bowler Ronsford Beaton a run in the final T20I, and that he would “continue to give Rovman Powell a go”, considering the 23-year old allrounder hasn’t featured in many games despite travelling with the team for most of their fixtures.West Indies (probable) 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Chadwick Walton (wk), 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Jason Mohammed, 6 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 7 Sunil Narine, 8 Rovman Powell, 9 Samuel Badree/Ronsford Beaton, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Kesrick WilliamsAfghanistan made several changes to their playing combination between the two games, but have failed to achieve any notable improvement in performance. More players are likely to be shuffled around, with competition for some spots being particularly fierce.Afghanistan (probable) 1 Gulbadin Naib, 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 4 Samiullah Shenwari, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Karim Janat, 7 Afzar Zazai (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Amir Hamza, 10 Shapoor Zadran, 11 Naveen-ul-Haq

Pitch and conditions

The Warner Park pitch has been slightly more conducive to fast bowlers this series than many would have expected. With Jerome Taylor and Williams doing well for the hosts, another pace-friendly surface should not surprise.Rain, which played its part during the previous match, is not expected to be a factor this time around.

Stats and trivia

• Only five Afghanistan batsmen reached double figures in the the last two T20Is combined, with Gulbadin Naib being the only one to do so on both occasions. In contrast, only one West Indies batsman – Lendl Simmons – has been dismissed for a single-digit score so far this series.
• Sunil Narine has scored 145 runs in 19 T20I innings. In the 16 matches he played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL this season, he amassed 224, which also included the joint-fastest fifty – off only 15 balls – in the tournament’s history.

ScorecardNot so long ago, Mark Stoneman said he hated London and could never imagine living there. But, on this evidence, he seems to be settling in rather well.Stoneman, on his Championship debut for Surrey having made the painful decision to leave Durham, made a chanceless century to punish Ian Bell’s decision to bowl first (the toss was uncontested) and give his side a formidable platform in this game. He looked every inch a prospective England batsman.He may soon fall in love with London, too. Certainly on days like this – with the trees in bloom and a decent-sized crowd enjoying a perfect early-summer day – there is much to admire about the city, though it may be the benevolent nature of the pitch that consummates his relationship with his new club.Afterwards Bell admitted he had erred in his toss decision – “it was definitely a bat-first wicket,” he said, “isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing?” – and Warwickshire might reflect that, in the first session, with the pitch damp, their bowlers failed to utilise any help that might have been available.But to focus on their shortcomings – and they were not awful by any means – would be to deny Stoneman credit for an almost flawless innings. Against one of the best spinners and left-arm swing bowlers in the county game, he demonstrated excellent judgement outside off stump, admirable patience (he had faced 16 balls before he hit a boundary) and a pleasing ability to be able to put away even half a bad ball. His treatment of the short ball, in particular, was merciless – 102 of his runs came from boundaries.”He didn’t give us a sniff,” Bell said. “We’re really impressed by him.”There may be mixed feelings about this innings in Durham, though. While the majority of those involved with the club – players, supporters et al – will celebrate Stoneman’s success, they will rue the fact that their financial plight led to his departure. As he put it: “Because of the financial situation at Durham, my contract was allowed to run into its final year. I decided to move to Surrey to further my career.”Few could blame him. A professional sporting life is not long and some desire for security and, yes, better remuneration is natural.He will have to replicate this innings a few times if he is to become a serious contender for the Test side. His career average – 32.99 before this game – is modest and there are several younger men (notably Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed) ahead of him in the fight for a place. But he has long been respected as one of the best openers in the county game by his fellow pros and can claim mitigation for that average with the demanding quality of the surfaces that he played on in Durham until the start of 2016.He also made a century in his final innings for Durham, meaning that he has scored two Championship centuries in succession. He is the first England-qualified player to make a century on Championship debut for Surrey since Mark Rampakash in 2001. Aaron Finch (2016), Kumar Sangakkara (2015) and Ricky Ponting (2013) are the three most recent men to do so for Surrey.Stoneman was given fine support in a first-wicket stand of 154 by Rory Burns. While Burns will be disappointed not to make a century that appeared to be his for the taking – something of a recurring theme in his career – he will be encouraged by the manner in which he saw off the new ball and took the attack to Warwickshire’s bowlers.”They never let us settle,” Jim Troughton, Warwickshire’s first-team coach said afterwards. “We probably got the toss decision wrong and there were too many boundary balls, but Surrey batted very well. We’ve known Stoneman was quality player for a few years and he showed everyone that today.”Warwickshire could also have regretted dropping Scott Borthwick, another recruit from Durham, on 4 (Barker was unable to cling on to a top-edged pull off Chris Wright) but he soon fell after flirting outside off stump.It might have been worse for them, though. At lunch, with Surrey 133 without loss after 31 overs and Jonathan Trott already employed as a bowler, it looked as if they were in deep trouble. But they dragged the run-rate back through the rest of the day and didn’t let the batsmen capitalise in the final session. However, Sangakkara remains – he played some drives so sweet he must have been tempted to light a cigarette as he watched them scurry to the boundary – and, with no heavy roller available for this game, the pitch may become more difficult for the side batting last.Earlier, Surrey included Jade Dernbach – his first Championship appearance since 2015 – ahead of Stuart Meaker and Gareth Batty, the captain, ahead of Zafar Ansari. Nor could they be blamed for doing so. While Ansari was deemed good enough to represent England only a few months ago, the decision to play T20 cricket in a block and cut the schedule has pushed the Championship ever further into the margins of the season. The counties will have played eight of their 14 Championship games before the end of June. There is no mystery in England’s continuing weakness in producing and playing spin bowling.

ScorecardLewis Gregory claimed five wickets in a hostile display•Getty Images

Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton reprised the form that helped to carry Somerset to the brink of their maiden Championship title last summer, as they shared nine wickets between them to secure MCC a sizeable first-innings lead on the second day of their Champion County fixture against Middlesex in Abu Dhabi.By the close of play, however, Middlesex had themselves fought back with the ball, reducing MCC to 145 for 7 – an overall lead of 298 – with Harry Podmore leading the line with three wickets.Middlesex had resumed their first innings on 9 for 1 in reply to MCC’s 332 all out, but struggled to make headway against a Somerset-dominated attack, for whom the spinner Jack Leach made the first breakthrough, when Tom Helm was bowled for 15.It was Gregory, however, who did the bulk of the early damage to Middlesex’s prospects, adding three quick wickets to his overnight scalp of Sam Robson to reduce the champions to 68 for 5.Middlesex’s fortunes were boosted by Dawid Malan, who top-scored with 56, and John Simpson, who made 49 in a sixth-wicket stand of 98. But Malan was trapped lbw by Overton, who then had James Franklin caught behind two balls later for a duck.Simpson fell in a similar fashion ten runs later, as Gregory completed his five-wicket haul, and the tail came meekly, with Overton accounting for Podmore and Ravi Patel in consecutive deliveries.With a significant lead of 153 in the bank, MCC were able to take the early losses of Alex Lees and Tom Alsop in their stride, as Podmore trapped both men lbw in the same over, but when Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke were removed in quick succession by James Harris, the score was a dicey 49 for 4.Podmore added his third when Ben Cox fell for 13, but Adam Lyth’s 42 carried the lead past 250, before Gregory and Overton reprised their bowling partnership with some enterprising hitting to ensure MCC finished the day back in command.

Australia vice-captain David Warner said his side’s 142-run loss in the second ODI at Johannesburg could be traced to a poor start in each innings. Warner said Australia found it hard to recover in the field after South Africa finished the first 10 overs at 66 for 0, setting up a platform for an imposing 361 for 6 which was more than enough for the hosts to defend.”We didn’t start well,” Warner said after the game. “We always talk about trying to start well with the bat and the ball in the first 10. We lacked that a bit today and I think our energy and intent was probably lacking. But look when a team puts 360 on the board, it’s always going to be a tough chase. You have to start positive and try not to lose too many wickets in the first 10. It’s unfortunate today but we’ve got another chance to come back and show up again in Durban.”Australia’s debutant new-ball combo of Chris Tremain and Joe Mennie took the brunt of the punishment from Rilee Rossouw and Faf du Plessis, who produced his sixth ODI ton. Tremain and Mennie took a combined 1 for 160 in 20 overs, with Mennie’s 0 for 82 the worst return for an Australian bowler on ODI debut.However, Warner noted that the Johannesburg pitch is never an easy place for bowlers, noting Mennie didn’t have it as bad as Mick Lewis, who conceded figures of 0 for 113 in the famous 438 chase by South Africa on the same ground 10 years earlier. He also said Mitchell Starc’s absence was not an excuse for a lackluster bowling performance and that the young attack will hopefully learn from the experience.”You’ve got to play the cards that you’re dealt and at the moment we’ve got two young guys making their debut. We do have a young attack but they’ve done everything they can to be here and be in this position to play for the country. It’s going to be a learning experience for them especially today.”They have to go back and reflect on what they can do better, especially in the first 10. With Starcy and them out, it is what it is. We have to deal with it and we can only control what we can at the moment and that’s with the guys that we have.”As for Australia’s reply, Warner said the team needed to find a better balance between attacking in the first 10 overs and remaining patient enough to wait for scoring opportunities that open up over the course of the innings. While South Africa ended their Powerplay blemish free, Australia were 54 for 2 after 10 and lost George Bailey one over later, setting them back to a position they could not dig out of.Warner singled himself out for poor shot selection despite making Australia’s second-best score in the match and said Australia needed to produce bigger scores in the manner of du Plessis on Saturday and Quinton de Kock from the first ODI if they want to make a comeback in the series.”We have to get hungry and we have to be hungry,” Warner said. “We are that on our day. Obviously it hasn’t been our day the last couple of games but we have to keep having that positive mindset and go big. We’ve seen the wickets. They’re very very good wickets and if you get in… today I played probably a poor shot. I’ve had a couple of soft dismissals. A few of the guys got caught down the leg side.”

ScorecardMark Wood’s fire swung the game in Durham’s favour•Getty Images

A fresh England fast bowler, snorting with ambition and with only 32 overs on the clock for his county all season, is a wonderful attribute for a side seeking to reach NatWest Blast Finals Day. Durham had that player in Mark Wood, whose England career has been disrupted by injury, but who took out his frustrations on Gloucestershire in Bristol to clinch a place at Edgbaston.Gloucestershire, met by Durham’s 180 for 5, needed the second highest T20 total ever achieved at Bristol to progress, but within Wood’s hostile first two overs, with his pace around 90mph, that target had receded into the distance. Hamish Marshall, cramped on an attempted pull, spliced to Jennings at square leg and Ian Cockbain, with 499 runs to his name in the group stages, fell for nought as he uncomfortably fended another short ball to the same fielder.They succumbed for 161, getting closer than they ever imagined in a wonderful tie because of a truculent half-century from Jack Taylor, who stared down Gloucestershire disarray at 61 for 6 in the 11th and tore into the legspin of Scott Borthwick and malfunctioning medium pace of Paul Collingwood in turn, Collingwood forced out of the attack because of two full tosses above waist high: add three legitimate balls and he spilled 22 runs. He was probably relieved to have to call it a day.

Wood’s X-factor vital

Michael Klinger: “Jack Taylor saved us a lot of embarrassment. He has played a few like this over the years. If he had got on strike for the last over, who knows. But we got outplayed to be honest.”
Paul Collingwood: “You need X-factor players like Mark Wood – and Scott Borthwick – to make the difference. The way he bowled and took early wickets put them under pressure. Jack’s striking was fantastic but we always knew we were just one wicket away.”

Taylor, who finished with 80 from 41 balls, had taken Gloucestershire to within 27 from the last 12 when Wood returned for his last over. Wood had damaged Gloucestershire but not quite killed them. Ludicrously, Andrew Tye was run out risking an unlikely second to Usman Arshad at fine leg when it would have been wiser to give Taylor the strike. Even more galling for Taylor was the finale when he ended up at the same end as his brother, Matt, and was run out with an over remaining. Brotherly telepathy can never be guaranteed.Wood played the last of his eight Tests against Pakistan in Dubai in October, since when he has endured operations on the front and back of his ankle in turn. Four matches across all three competitions for Durham have been the sum of a lost season – well, almost lost because on the evidence of this 19-run victory, his zest is unimpaired and he now has a Finals Day to plan for. If his ankle proves resilient enough, and it cannot be guaranteed, a rewarding England career can still lie ahead. England might be tempted to give him an outing in the ODI series against Pakistan.This tie was not all about Wood, far from it. Chris Rushworth, probing intelligently around off stump, was an ideal foil, and he removed Michael Klinger, Gloucestershire’s rock, with one that leapt off a length and drew surely one of the great wicketkeeping catches of this or any other season, from Michael Richardson, standing up. It helped to win him the Man-of-the-Match award.Mark Stoneman is on his way to Surrey at the end of the season and Durham, deep in the financial mire, fear that others might follow, Wood and Scott Borthwick among them. But Stoneman also did his utmost to provide a parting gift of a NatWest Blast trophy as he struck 61 from 41 balls to ensure a formidable total.Gloucestershire had dominated the South Group while Durham squeezed into the last eight on the final night of the group stages in the North, but for the third successive night a North Group county progressed with Yorkshire – a weakened Yorkshire, it has to be said – hoping to complete the set against Glamorgan in Cardiff on Thursday.Bristol rarely produces such inviting batting surfaces. Gloucestershire’s masters of disguise, the expert Australian Tye and his homegrown apprentice Benny Howell, went for almost 10 an over. Howell, the leading wicket-taker in the Blast this season, had conceded under seven an over throughout the group stage, and by the time he silenced Stoneman at long-on, the opening stand had reached dangerous proportions.Stoneman had also been instrumental in Durham reaching the last eight, sharing a record Twenty20 stand for Durham of 141 with Calum McLeod to see off Derbyshire. This time his opening stand of 96 with his fellow left-hander, Keaton Jennings, took Durham deep into the 11th over. It was only the second time they had passed 50 all season. Jennings is one Durham player who has confirmed he will remain in the north eastDurham have fought well in adversity all season, not just in the Blast but the Championship, too, and Stoneman quickened their resolve, gaining momentum with hits over the top and delicate glides.Gloucestershire lacked their wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick, loaned Phil Mustard from Durham for the rest of the season then by cruel quirk of fate were drawn against them in the quarter-final and understandably were refused permission to play him.That brought a first game under floodlights for Pat Grieshaber, a 19-year-old from Bath who Jack Russell, the most treasured Gloucestershire wicketkeeper of all, rates highly, but Stoneman might have been run out on 45 by a wicketkeeper more adept at saving half a second by fielding the ball in front of the stumps. Such enhancements take time. He also drew his own fan club, a group of mates stripped to the waist with his name emblazoned in black across their chests.Jennings fell swinging at Tye for 36, Jack Burnham could not take advantage of a let-off when the umpire failed to adjudge him caught at the wicket – Tom Smith finding marked turn – and Gordon Muchall pottered to an unbeaten 15 to no real purpose, but Richardson also found inspiration. He had only ever struck one T20 six (in his defence, the Chester-le-Street boundaries are extensive) but he produced three in his 37 off 21 balls.Write Durham off at your peril. We keep writing it, but we never learn.

ScorecardMarcus Trescothick is within one century of Harold Gimblett•Getty Images

Middlesex will anticipate the final day of four at Taunton and reflect that on such days are Championships won and lost. With Warwickshire getting little change from the bottom club Hampshire, there is a chance to extend their lead at the top, but Somerset’s lead of 203 with four wickets remaining makes victory in the balance. A tense day lies in prospect.When Middlesex took a first-innings lead of 145 and then removed four Somerset wickets before conceding the lead, their hopes must have been high that they could be well on the way to their third win of the season which would be quite an achievement for an attack lacking Toby Roland-Jones, Steven Finn and Tim Murtagh: 76 wickets between them.Instead, they ran aground on both sides of tea against familiar foes as centuries from Marcus Trescothick and Peter Trego lifted Taunton spirits. For 40 overs, as they crashed and carved 181 runs, West Country cricket had a smile on its face again. Middlesex’s stand-in seamers have much to commend them, but they deteriorated under pressure and as a green pitch became firm and true their hold over the match weakened.Here are two fine servants of Somerset cricket: the gentle roll of Trescothick, ambling around the crease with the contentment of a jolly sailor reaching dry land after a satisfying day’s fishing in the Bristol Channel, and the piratical figure of Trego, who is more likely to dock with cutlass and eye patch. They offer fine entertainment, even on a day when a chill wind is whistling around the Quantocks.Trescothick’s 48th first-class century for Somerset takes him second in the county’s all-time list, his innings coming to grief on 124 when James Harris had him caught at the wicket with a delivery of tight line. His latest landmark leaves him just one century behind the great Harold Gimblett, a batsman from five centuries of Quantocks farming stock.

Jayawardene stays on

Mahela Jayawardene will now be available to play in the remaining matches in Somerset’s Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
Originally the Sri Lankan batsman had only signed for the NatWest T20 Blast campaign but this has now been extended to the 50 over competition.

Trego, the great entertainer, only averages about one hundred a year – destructive 40s and 60s are more his metier – but he played with great certainty and remained 115 not out at the close. To reach his first century of the season, he needed a let-off by John Simpson, the wicketkeeper, on 81, a chance high to his right off James Fuller.Trego said; “It was my 200th game and I never thought I would get to this point. But having been around for such a long time, I have had to make sure that my game has evolved. I needed to dig in for the team and I felt I did that today.”Tres and I have got a great rapport, but a lot of our better partnership[s have been in one day cricket. With Marcus not playing one day games anymore, we don’t often get the chance to bat together. So, yes, it was enjoyable.”Fuller, resuming on 84, had failed to achieve his maiden Championship hundred before lunch, falling nine short when he edged Tim Groenewald to first slip. James Harris fell in identical fashion, their ninth-wicket stand stretched to 162 in 46 overs, and the match in Middlesex’s grasp.Peter Trego shows delight at his century•Getty Images

There was talk of a three-day win as Middlesex, led by three wickets for Harry Podmore, worked through Somerset’s second innings. No batsman likes to lose his middle stump because of a leave alone, but Johann Myburgh could at last reflect that he was beaten by a ball that came back sharply and which he might have felt he could fairly leave on length alone.Chris Rogers – the captain who had risked a greentop, knowing that Somerset would have to have first bat on it – had reason to be doubly frustrated about his duck, guiding Podmore to his former Australian team-mate George Bailey at point. Spin has played a minor role on this pitch, but Ollie Raynor chipped in with the wicket of James Hildreth thanks to a sharp catch at slip from James Franklin.Trescothick, as he has so often, welcomed each new partner with equanimity, a figure of certainty while change happened all around hm. Jim Allenby first provided support until he pulled Podmore to mind-on. Then came Trego and Taunton put its gripes and grievances aside and soaked up the entertainment.

ScorecardFile photo: Mignon du Preez top-scored for South Africa Women with 55•ICC/Getty Images

An overthrow off the last ball, with South Africa needing three, resulted in a heartbreaking loss for Ireland in the first of two women’s T20Is in Dublin.South Africa, chasing 141, needed 22 off the last two overs, with five wickets in hand. Dinesha Devnarain took the onus after Mignon du Preez’s dismissal for 55. Her unbeaten 11-ball 20, including a crucial boundary in the penultimate over, helped the visitors secure a thriller.Clare Shillington made the early running with a 31-ball 30 after Ireland were sent in to bat. They moved along to 61 for 1 in 10 overs before Sune Luus’ double-strike in the space of five deliveries lifted South Africa.She first clean bowled Shauna Kavanagh and then had Jennifer Gray trapped lbw as Ireland slipped to 63 for 3. When Shillington fell off the next over, Ireland had lost momentum.It took an unbeaten 61-run stand between Isobel Joyce and Kim Garth to lift Ireland to 140 for 5, their second-highest T20I score. Joyce was particularly aggressive, hitting three fours and a six in her unbeaten 31. Ireland pillaged 51 off the last six overs.In reply, South Africa lost experienced opener Trisha Chetty in the third over, but kept chipping away at the runs, even as the asking rate crept up, courtesy Laura Wolvaardt and du Preez. The pair had added 45 in seven overs before Joyce had Wolvaardt caught by Garth to leave the visitors needing 83 off 57 balls.Du Preez, the former captain, brought her experience into play, milking the runs even as wickets continued to fall, before laying into the bowlers; her successive boundaries in the 17th over reduced the equation to 33 off the last three overs.The dismissal of du Preez in the 18th over tilted the game in Ireland’s favour, but Devnarain’s cameo, in Lara Goodall’s company, kept South Africa’s hopes alive. When Goodall was run out in the final over, delivered by 16-year-old medium-pacer Lucy O’Reilly, South Africa were left needing four off the last two balls. That soon became three off the last ball. O’Reilly and Klaas ran two but got four more, courtesy a misfield and an overthrow. With the win, South Africa took an unassailable lead in the series.

Abahani Limited took another step towards the Dhaka Premier League title, beating Legends of Rupganj by 60 runs at the BKSP-3 ground in Savar.After being put in, Abahani’s batsmen made solid contributions to lift them to 290 for 8 in 50 overs. Rupganj were bowled out for 230 in 44.4 overs, with Mosaddek Hossain, the offspinner, taking 5 for 43.Both teams are now level on points – 20 each – but Abahani are on top on account of more wins.Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, the Abahani openers, added 76 runs for the first wicket before left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had Tamim caught at long-on in the 17th over. Then Liton, having made 51 off 69 balls, was caught at short midwicket as Rupganj fought back to reduce Abahani to 112 for 4 in the 28th over.Shakib Al Hasan and Mosaddek Hossain regained the advantage with a 140-run fifth-wicket stand. Shakib, who made 66 off 57 balls, was severe on everything short. The best of his six fours and two sixes came via cuts and pulls. Mosaddek preferred the cover drive and chips over midwicket. He made 73 off only 55 balls, with eight fours and two straight sixes. Both batsmen fell in the space of nine balls between the 45th and 46th overs which prevented Abahani from making 300.Taijul finished with 3 for 45. Asif Ahmed claimed 3 for 57 in nine overs and Alauddin Babu took 2 for 35. Jahurul Islam took four catches, the most by an outfielder in a DPL List-A match, joining Tushar Imran, Hasibul Hossain, Raqibul Hasan and Naeem Islam.The Rupganj chase began horribly. They lost their top three in 8.3 overs. Jahurul and Junaid Siddique were bowled by Shakib and Mosaddek respectively when the batsmen tried to slog across the line. Soumya Sarkar’s stumps sustained damage as well after he was beaten by Taskin Ahmed’s pace.A 59-run fourth wicket stand fanned hopes of a recovery but Nahidul Islam was stumped off Shakib for 36 and his partner Mohammad Mithun was caught at long-on for 55.Asif Ahmed hammered 70 off 54 balls with five sixes and three fours, but with no one else contributing Abahani’s total was never under threat. Asif was the last man out, but he seemed to suggest he wasn’t ready for the Taskin full toss that bowled him in the 44th over.Mosaddek was adjudged Player of the Match for the third time in the DPL having taken a five-for to go with his half-century.In Fatullah, Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club beat Victoria Sporting Club by 91 runs. Despite that, both teams are out of contention for the titlePrime Doleshwar amassed 333 for 5 in their 50 overs thanks to a 96-ball 100 from opener Raqibul Hasan. Victoria were in and excellent position to chase the target down with the openers Abdul Mazid (50) and Jubair Ahmed (56) and their No. 3 Mominul Haque (61) making fifties each. But they collapsed from 201 for 3 to 242 all out. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam took 3 for 44, while Al-Amin Hossain and Rahatul Ferdous took two each to secure the victory.Prime Doleshwar were able to post a strong total despite losing an early wicket – Imtiaz Hossain was dismissed for 8 in the first over – thanks to Raqibul and the partnerships he led – 70 runs for the second wicket with Rony Talukdar, then 124 for the third wicket with Sachin Baby, who made 64 off 92 balls. Raqibul raised his first hundred of the season off 94 balls, but was dismissed soon after.With 14 overs left and a foundation of 202 for 3 to work with, Nasir Hossain plundered an unbeaten 74 off 42 balls to push the score well beyond Victoria’s reach.In Mirpur, Ariful Haque’s unbeaten century sealed a thrilling one-wicket win for Mohammedan Sporting Club against Prime Bank Cricket Club.Fast bowler Rubel Hossain, who had his national contract reinstated yesterday, was given the final over with six runs to defend. Mohammedan took singles off the first two balls, but lost three wickets in the next three due to run-outs. The last of those came about in unsavoury fashion.Off the penultimate ball, an appeal was made for lbw that was turned down by the umpire, even as Ariful and Subhasis Roy tried to take two. Prime Bank appealed for a run out on both ends, but the batsmen were ruled not out, prompting the Prime Bank players to go off the field for 15 minutes as protest. They were persuaded to return by the match referee, and Subhashis was declared run out.Ariful took strike for the final ball on 99. With two runs required, he struck a four through third man to seal the win.Prime Bank’s total of 244 had seemed more than enough when Ariful had come to the crease at 76 for 4. But he didn’t give up. He added 61 runs for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim (50), added 59 more for the seventh wicket with the Faisal Hossain and finally shepherded the team across the line amid intense pressure.In a game of small margins, Prime back would rue the disappointing returns in the latter overs of their batting innings. Sabbir Rahman’s 77 off 66 balls and opener Unmukt Chand’s 40 off 62 balls had helped them to 196 for 5 in the 41st over, but it ended with Shuvagata Hom’s wicket, and thereafter, Prime Bank lost their way and were bowled out before facing their full quota. Shahidul Islam, Faisal, Enamul Haque jnr and Naeem Islam took two wickets each; Habibur Rahman and Roy took a wicket apiece.